Craftmanship

Utilising time-honoured skills with over 50 years of experience.

R. G. Hardie & Co. is proud to be the makers of the world’s finest bagpipes and take great pride in producing bagpipes played at the highest level of solo and pipe band competition. Our skills at turning heirloom bagpipes are known the world over. We are very fortunate to have had the services of one of the most experienced turners around in Duncan Campbell, who had been with R. G. Hardie & Co. since 1962, and learnt his craft from Bob Hardie. He was responsible for training the bagpipe makers of the future and we have a fantastic-passionate team in place, hand-finishing bagpipes to the highest level.

At every stage of the process we inspect the wood to ensure it meets our high standards. From checking the concentricity and finish of the bores to the fitting of threaded mounts we strive to deliver a bagpipe that is built to last many years. The combing, beading and polishing of the wood adds the final touches to the instrument that any discerning piper will be proud to play and pass on to the next generation. Our bagpipes undergo a rigourous finishing process that highlights the natural beauty of the hardwoods and exotic woods we use today.

Every detail of the instrument is carefully considered with the geometry and concentricity of the bores determining the quality and vibrancy of the drone sound. Our range of bagpipes are based upon a 1924 vintage set of Peter Henderson bagpipes combined with the bass and tenor bottom joint bores from the vintage R.G. Hardie instrument. Our bagpipes produce a rich, resonant tone whilst accommodating a wide range of reeds that can be fine tuned with ease.

Our range of pipe chanters have been designed and modernised by company director Alastair Dunn. Today, our blackwood pipe chanters are played by many top-flight soloists. Alastair plays a set of PH05H bagpipes with matching blackwood pipe chanter and in 2009 won the Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal with this instrument. He played this set in Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band where he won ten grade 1 World Championships. Our range of bagpipes are played by many pipers in top grade 1 bands.

Our craftsmanship is complimented by the pipers we employ, who test and develop our range, ensuring we craft the finest-sounding bagpipes in the world.